Gallegos will not seek reelection; DA cites need to spend time with family

After a tumultuous three terms in office, District Attorney Paul Gallegos announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2014.

Gallegos said he was proud of his tenure as district attorney, but wants to spend more time with his wife Joan and their two children: one is in high school and the other in middle school.

He will step down when his term ends in January 2015.

"It's a wonderful job. It's a wonderful honor. It's just, at some point, you have to say, "I've done that, and I've served," Gallegos said. "It's time for me to serve my family."

Gallegos surprised many when he was first elected to the post in 2002, beating longtime District Attorney Terry Farmer -- who held the office for 20 years. Soon after taking office, the controversies began, including his decision to launch a massive fraud lawsuit against Pacific Lumber Co. -- which sent legal reverberations across the state and led to a contentious recall effort.

Gallegos easily fought off the recall in 2004. The case was eventually thrown out by the courts.

While Gallegos had his critics, he also ran two successful election campaigns that saw two of his deputy district attorneys -- one former and another who was still working in the office -- challenge him. They each claimed he was a failed administrator who left the office rudderless, resulting in an exodus of experienced prosecutors.

His most recent challenger, Allison Jackson --who was fired by Gallegos in June 2004 -- maintained Gallegos had repeated lapses of honesty and was soft on crime by allowing some "mind-boggling" plea bargains.

Along the way, he's also been accused of being too liberal on marijuana and making bad charging decisions.

"There's no way to serve in public office without criticism," he said, citing the county's political divide. "That is part of the process."

On the campaign trail, Gallegos maintained his office has done good work and that he helped bring county prosecutions into the 21st century by updating the office's records system -- which was once kept on index cards -- and revamping its investigative unit. He said his office also won some big cases and put a host of violent, dangerous offenders behind bars.

Gallegos also acknowledged his office has weathered many storms.

"I am proud of what we have accomplished," Gallegos wrote in a letter announcing his decision not to run again. "I am proud of where we are. I believe we have accomplished more than I ever thought we would be able to do over the last 11 years, and I am proud of you and thankful for all that you have done to accomplish that. I also believe that we have laid the framework for great progress in both the near and the district future with the work we have done."

Gallegos would have faced a third prosecutor in November.

Arnold Klein, who retired from the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office in January 2012, officially announced earlier this month that he is running.

"I think Paul is a good man with a big heart, but no prosecutorial experience. He tried to create his own police department because he didn't have the best relationship with the local police department," Klein said. "I think his message and his view of what the office should be ran amuck and ran aground. It wasn't inherently bad; he just lacked experience and had no one to offer guidance."

As recently as July, Gallegos had said he was seeking a fourth term. He said the decision to change course was a difficult one, and his job allowed him to work with great people and meet the heroes who take the stand in courtrooms every day to face those who have hurt them.

"My commitment to my community is not ending," he said. "I'm just reprioritizing things."

"I thought he was in for sure. He seemed to have the amount of electorate support," he said. "But I know he wasn't popular with law enforcement."

Jager said that he "really can't comment" on how well Gallegos worked with local authorities, but hopes the next district attorney will work to partner better with law enforcement.

"I know Gallegos was for the people, and not working for law enforcement," Jager said. "But, in some ways, a district attorney needs to partner with law enforcement agencies, and I think we've gotten away from that."

Third District Supervisor Mark Lovelace said he had heard rumors that Gallegos might not run for reelection, but the announcement was news to him.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what the other candidates bring forward, but I did appreciate his time as DA," he said.

Humboldt County Sheriff Mike Downey said the announcement was the first he's officially heard about Gallegos not seeking reelection, but he had his suspicions, based on rumors around the office.

"I've worked with Paul for a number of years, as undersheriff and as sheriff, and I consider us to be friends," Downey said. "I can't say I've agreed with him on everything, but that's the nature of the business. He served the office well."

Gallegos said his focus will remain on the office for the next year, and he will continue to serve the community after his term ends, but the time has come to spend time with his wife who stood by him and to enjoy his children's teenage years without the 24/7 demands of being a district attorney.